Digital Services
Have news alerts sent to your mobile device or email, read the e-Edition, sign up for daily newsletters, activate your all access, enter contests, take quizzes, download our mobile apps and see the latest e-circulars.

Contact Us
See department contacts, frequently asked questions, request customer service support, submit a photo or place an ad.

Tamaqua's season ends in PIAA semis

Article Tools

JACQUELINE DORMER/Staff Photographer
Tamaqua's Nate MacDonald holds up his glove after tagging out Pope John Paul II's Kyle Miller at second in their PIAA Class AAA semifinal game at Parkland High School Monday.

SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP. - The scene was set for another dramatic Tamaqua comeback.

This time, the ball didn't bounce the Blue Raiders' way.

Tamaqua's magical season ended in heartbreaking fashion Monday night with a 1-0 loss to Pope John Paul II in a PIAA Class AAA state baseball semifinal at Parkland High School.

For the second straight game, the Blue Raiders staged a seventh-inning rally by getting two baserunners with two outs.

The side-arming, left-handed closer got Brett Kosciolek to ground out on a hard-hit ball to first base, ending the Blue Raiders' season and advancing Pope John Paul II to Friday's PIAA championship game.

The Golden Panthers (22-6) will face Harriton, a 5-2 winner over Erie Cathedral Prep, in a rematch of their District 1 championship game at 6 p.m. at Penn State University's Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

"It definitely felt like the last game against Jersey Shore," said Tamaqua's Matt Roberts, who reached on an error in the seventh inning to keep the Blue Raiders alive. "With being that we rallied back last game, we knew we could do it, we just needed to put the hits together and believe.

"We came up just short."

The seventh-inning rally was a capsule of Tamaqua's offensive production against PJP starter Josh Lafferty and Zurowski.

The Blue Raiders (20-7) had at least one baserunner in every inning but the sixth inning, but couldn't get the timely hit.

Tamaqua had two runners on base with one out in the first and fifth innings but didn't score, and stranded a runner in scoring position in the third.

All total, the Blue Raiders collected four hits, worked three walks, but left 10 runners on base.

"We couldn't come up with that hit to get a run across," Tamaqua coach Jeff Reading said. "We had some opportunities, we just couldn't get that hit.

"The ball just didn't bounce our way today. You need Lady Luck on your side sometimes, and we didn't have that today."

Lafferty pitched the first 5.2 innings, surrendering all four Tamaqua hits. Zurowski entered with two outs and nobody on in the sixth inning and got the last four outs.

Pope John Paul head coach John Duffy said the Panthers went to Zurowski so he could face Tamaqua's two left-handed hitters, Daylon Barron and Matt Minchhoff.

Zurowski fanned Barron to end the sixth and retired Minchhoff and Bo Rottet to start the seventh before Nate MacDonald walked and Roberts reached on a throwing error.

Kosciolek worked a 1-1 count before ripping a pitch that first baseman Trevor O'Brien knocked down, fielded and stepped on first to end the game.

"They had two lefties coming up, and I wanted to end the sixth inning right there and start off the seventh with their No. 9 hitter," Duffy said. "(Rottet) is their best hitter, and I didn't want him leading off the seventh inning.

"I felt pretty comfortable Dan could come in, get that last out of the sixth and start the seventh lefty on lefty. It's a lot harder to score a run with one out than when your leadoff hitter is leading off the inning."

Tamaqua got a strong pitching performance from starter Ian Nicholls, who pitched five scoreless innings, giving up four hits, walking none and striking out one.

The senior right-hander threw just 49 pitches, getting great defensive plays behind him from third baseman Zach Coleman, left fielder Adam Bates, Kosciolek at first base and Roberts behind the plate.

"Honestly, I didn't think I was going to go that far," Nicholls said. "I just hit the mitt, hit my spots, came with my slider and used my change-up. Everything was working today."

Added Reading: "He was phenomenal. I had a feeling today about Ian. He's got good stuff. He kept them off-balance, and our defense made the plays behind him."

Reading went to Rottet to pitch the sixth, and he quickly got into trouble. Leadoff hitter Kyle Miller, who was 3-for-3, opened the frame with a single, and Chris Kucewicz was hit by a pitch.

Rottet got James Bleming, a Lehigh recruit, to fly out to right field, but Miller took third. Joey Pedorenko followed with a grounder toward second. The Blue Raiders tried to turn an inning-ending double play, but Pedorenko just beat the throw to first.

Miller scored on the play for the game's only run.

"We got the ball we wanted, it just wasn't hit hard enough to get it over there," Reading said. "The kid beat it by a step and they scored a run on it."

As he talked to his team following the game, Reading went through the dugout and hugged his three seniors - Roberts, Nicholls and Adam Bates.

While the Blue Raiders will return eight starters, Reading gave his three seniors a lot of credit for the team's postseason run.

"Our three seniors gave us everything they've had all year," Reading said. "They did a fantastic job in the roles they were asked to do. I can't say enough."

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.